The secret of the S-Rank

The tension has gone up. The fight we thought we had already won suddenly got pretty tough. Two more cyclops, even bigger than the previous one, appeared from the shadows.

"I don't get it, what the hell's is going on?" Ryul said with a troubled look on his face.

"I'm going to draw their attention—attack in the meantime." Leona ran against the cyclopes and used her skill once more to get his attention.

"[Blind Thrust]"

Leona used one more skill:

"[Endure]'' - Increases resistance to pain.

Leona took advantage of the fact that the three cyclopes' attention was on her and arranged them in such a way that the cyclopes turned their backs on us. Ryul attacked one of the cyclops, but Shalia's buff on Ryul had already ended, and the damage he caused was noticeably weaker. In the same way, I attacked, but my sword's cut was not sufficient to cause significant damage. How can the skin of these creatures be so tough?

Receiving the attacks of the three cyclopes, Leona had no opportunity to attack and could barely resist. Each stroke of the cyclops on Leona's shield echoed throughout the cave stirring up the dust around her. If we don't do something, Leona won't be able to hold out for long.

Shalia used the second of the three skills that she posed:

"[Sunlight Shield]" - Creates an energy barrier around the target that mitigates physical damage.

A green aura enveloped Leona. Shalia bought us time, but if we can't cause more damage, we'll be in trouble.

"Fuck it! This is not the time to chicken out," Ryul said, putting himself in a meditation position for a moment.

The faint blue aura around Ryul turned red.

Ryul told me that he has learned two stances from training with the monk of the royal guard, and given the stance, he can use a different set of skills. 'Heaven's stance', which is a defensive stance he had been using until now, and an offensive stance. "Earth's stance".

When using Earth's stance, Ryul loses the passive [Sixth Sense] and instead gains [Forbidden Chakra] - Gaining more speed and strength for a specific time.

Ryul attacked the Cyclops that was in the middle with great **** using a combination of skills.

[Deadly Rush], [Rising Sun Kick] - A pretty strong upright kick. And [Stunning Strike] - An punch that paralyzes the target for a few seconds.

Just as Ryul said, the Monk depends on the martial arts, and to combine their skills correctly, it also has the advantage of being able to use skills constantly, making the Monks one of the most lethal offensive classes.

Ryul's attacks were effective, causing great damage to the cyclops. Because of the damage caused by Ryul, the cyclops stopped being under the effect of Leona's skill and rushed against Ryul.

"Shit," Leona exclaimed after realizing that she lost the attention of one of the cyclopes.

Shaila once again can use [Sunlight Charge] on Ryul, making him even stronger and faster.

The cyclops roared and flapped its big thick arms, trying to hit Ryul, but Ryul was too fast for him. It seemed that Ryul on his own would manage to take care of that cyclops.

On the other hand, Leona looked hurt since she had been receiving three cyclopes' attacks during all this time. The cyclops to Leona's left was the one we started to fight with first, and he looked badly hurt. If Ryul manages to defeat the other cyclops and Shalia and I take care of the one who is injured, among the four of us, it will be easier to take care of the last one.

"Shalia, help me with the one to the left," I yelled.

Shalia seemed to understand my intentions, so she started her attack. Shalia summoned as many water balls as she could and threw them at a fast speed, making the cyclops roar in pain. I focused my [Double Slash] skill on a single point, on the side of his stomach, trying to increase the damage.

After the constant attacks by Shalia and me on that cyclops, Leona also lost the attention of that one. The cyclops lunged at me, but he was already practically dead, so it was not difficult to dodge it. My attacks were effective as I made a large cut in the side of his stomach through which his intestines began to flow out.

Everything seems to be going well. The cyclops that Ryul was fighting is also on the ground. There is only one more left.

“ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!”

A roar shook the cave itself, ripping across the air. The roar struck my ears, making me cover them. My heart started racing when I saw the shadow that appeared at the back of the cave.

From among the shadows, a cyclops appeared at least twice as large as the others. He was holding what appeared to be the remains of a tree trunk.

When the roaring stopped. Silence. Deadly silence.

Leona is pretty hurt, Ryul looks exhausted, and I'm sure Shalia doesn't have much mana anymore. What should I do? I don't have any more mana either, and my sword attacks aren't strong enough. I turned back, searching for Syvis, but she was nowhere to be found. I didn't realize when she disappeared.

The cyclops grabbed a stone almost my size and threw it at Leona. Leona reacted by covering herself with her shield, but the impact was too strong. The impact knocked Leona away to the ground. She didn't move, looking like she was ****.

The cyclops close to Leona raised his arm and was about to hit her on the ground, but Shalia reacted in time.

[Stone Wall] Shalia used the only Earth spell she knows.

The wall covered Leona from the impact but was destroyed. Shalia clearly had no mana to create one more.

The giant cyclops turned to see Shalia, and after roaring and hitting the ground, he rushed towards Shalia. This is bad. I do not know what to do. I can't let that beast get to Shalia. I got in the way with my sword in hand.

"I'm not done yet..." Ryul said, still breathing heavily from fatigue.

Ryul was on guard, and... with his arms crossed at the height of his head, he opened them by bending them to his side, placing his hands at the height of his waist, creating a current of air.

Ryul's skin started to turn red. His muscles began to appear more prominent, and a kind of steam began to emerge from his body. What's going on? His veins began to bulge, and his eyes turned white.

It's true... I remember now. Ryul also has a rare skill ...[Berserk].

Ryul screamed or rather roared. The sound that came out of his mouth was more like that of an animal—Ryul and the cyclops clash halfway. Ryul moved so fast that I couldn't see him.

The other cyclops also wanted to throw himself at Ryul, but Leona stopped him using another of her skills.

[Divine chains] - Create chains of light that bind the target to Leona.

Leona was kneeling on the ground with blood on her face, and some shiny white chains coming out of Leona's body were binding the cyclops. No matter how much the cyclops tried to free himself from the chains, he couldn't.

On the other side of the cave, the intimidating cyclops was being destroyed by Ryul. Ryul was not using any skills or techniques. Just brute ****. Every blow Ryul gave destroyed some part of the body of the cyclops. With one last punch, he smashed the creature's head, decapitating it and making his body slowly fall to the ground.

Seeing the dead cyclops on the ground, Ryul roared and fell ****.

The last cyclops, enraged, unable to free himself from the chain, tried to attack Leona, unprotected and without a shield. Shalia tried to create Stone Wall again but failed due to her lack of mana.

Leona tried to get up, but she couldn't. I have to do something.

I ran, trying to avoid the blow he was about to give Leona. I haven't been of much help in this fight. I want to be stronger. I don't want to continue being a burden to my friends.

For a moment, it felt like everything was in slow motion. I could see the cyclops' arm at the top, lowering it with the fist closed against Leona. I'm still far away, and at my speed, I shouldn't be able to get there on time.

A golden light began to cover me. It was a momentary light, just like last time. Something inside me changed. I can feel it.

The slow-motion stopped, and at high speed, I reached the cyclops before it managed to hit Leona.

[Double Slash]

I cut the cyclops' hand with the first slash and cut the throat with the second one. I didn't feel as much resistance in the cut this time. The last cyclops fell to the ground holding his throat until he bled out and died.

Looking around, there are no more enemies in the surroundings. The fight is over.

Shalia ran to help Ryul, and I went to see how Leona was. Leona's wounds didn't look very serious, but she had blood on her face in addition to being entirely exhausted.

"Are you okay?" I asked, helping her up.

"Good work. It was a messy fight, but you guys won in the end." Syvis said, appearing suddenly.

"I think it was too much. Ryul is seriously injured." Shalia answer.

"If it weren't difficult, it would be a test." Syvis took four bottles out of her bag and handed them to us. "Drink this. It won't heal you completely, but it will be enough to get you to the city and be cared for by a healer."

We all drink the liquid from the bottle, and I instantly started to feel better. Ryul, with the help of Shalia, also drank from the bottle, and even though his countenance improved, he still couldn't get up on his own.

"Ouch...! I think it didn't work for me." Ryul groaned.

"You have some broken bones. That drink is not enough for you, you have to go with a healer to recover." Syvis continued. "I clearly told you that your body was not ready to use that skill. All that damage, you did it to yourself, so don't complain now."

"I had ****. That monster was scary. If I didn't use [Berserk], I don't know how we would have gotten out of that one." Ryul reply.

"You are right about that. You all are still not strong enough to defeat those kinds of creatures without using those kinds of skills. Actually, this would have been a quest that a good C rank party could have done. For an A rank group, this should have been a walk in the park. That says how much your group needs to improve."

Syvis continue. "Shalia, once you manage to combine your three elements and create a more powerful one with which you feel comfortable, you will show what you are truly capable of. Ryul, you still need a lot of training, but of the four, you are the one who has shown the most growth this week; this is only the beginning for you. Leona, your skillset is the envy of any tank. You are practically the perfect tank. I'm sure that in a few years, your name will be known throughout all the land." In the end, Syvis turned to see me. "Darx, show me your card."

I took out my card and I saw it changed again. Syvis took my card from my hand and said, "Just as I thought."

My rank changed from 'E' to 'D'.

"That last attack, you made it impossible for an E-Rank. For a moment, your body glowed like last time." Syvis explained. "If I'm correct, you may be able to continue advancing in ranks."

I remember well that I saw my body shine during the fight, and suddenly I felt stronger and more agile. It was a bizarre sensation.

"Who knows how far you can go, Darx, but both you and the rest need to train more if you want to live as adventurers," Syvis said.

Syvis is right about that. We gave our best, but we are still far from using our skills to their full potential. Also, our teamwork needs a lot of improvement. I'm sure everyone is thinking the same as me. The things we could have done differently if we were a little stronger. Even so, knowing that I went up in rank motivates me a lot.

Syvis pulled us out of our thoughts and said, "Even with all that, you didn't need my help, so you passed the test. Congratulations! Besides that, I can tell you that the potential of each of you is quite high. You should be proud of that." Syvis smiled and, seeing us, continued. "With all that said, I officially want to invite you all to Oblivion. At the end of this month, if you decide to join my guild, you are welcome."

After letting out a tired exclamation, Ryul started laughing, "Yes! We did it!! Auch..."

"Idiot, I told you that you're pretty hurt," Syvis said jokingly.

Everyone started laughing, even Leona, who rarely does. For my part, I cannot honestly do it. Even though I would love being in the same guild as Syvis and my friends, I can't belong to the same guild as Kase and Amelia. I just can't.

"You don't have to answer me now. After training with each of the instructors, you can decide. For now, let's go back to Riledo." Syvis said, finishing our first quest.

Shalia gave first aid to Leona with bandages that Syvis gave her. I carried Ryul on my back since he couldn't walk, and we left the cave. The way back was faster, and when we got to the carriage, it was already sunset.

On the way back, we all fell asleep except Syvis. I woke up for a moment and saw her looking out of the carriage window with a slightly sad expression. I wonder what she's thinking.

At night we reached the point where we left in the morning.

"Take Ryul and Leona to the castle healers. They will take care of making them as good as new." Syvis continued. "Tomorrow after breakfast, we will meet in the patio where the groups were distributed. Make sure you arrive early.

Syvis left on her way to the greenhouse. Seeing her walk away makes me a little sad. If Syvis weren't in Oblivion, I think I would join her guild without thinking twice.

Shalia and I took Ryul and Leona to the castle healers, and after a while of being treated, they came out healthy once more.

Shalia was fascinated seeing Ryul and Leona completely healed, and asked, "The healing magic is incredible. I wonder if I can do something similar?"

One of the healers responded. "Most of the healers are clerics, but there are other ways to use healing magic. Only that they can be more complex."

The four of us went to the dining room to eat something while we talked about what happened today and trying to figure out how we could work better as a team.

In the end, we had the intention of returning to our rooms, but I noticed that I didn't have my card. Now that I remember, Syvis never gave it back to me. I separated from the others and went to the greenhouse in search of Syvis, and almost upon arrival, I saw her outside the greenhouse with the bald nobleman. Why is he here? From the bald guy's tone of voice, it seems that they are arguing, and Syvis clearly looks upset.

“Syvis, are you busy?” I asked interrupting.

"We’re in the middle of something here. Why don’t you come back later?” The bald man replies angrily.

“Did something happen?” I asked again.

“I’m telling you to get out now!!”

"Darx, what are you doing here?" Syvis asked me.

"How dare you ignore me, and you get out of here." The bald man kept screaming in anger.

"I need to talk to her," I reply.

“Silence! Don’t you dare talk back, lowly adventurer!”

Thinking that it wouldn’t be a good idea to make an enemy of someone of high social standing, I lowered my head and said sorry. This kind of person is usually satisfied if you just act respectfully towards them.

“Hmph, what poor manners. Not that a wanderer can be expected to be educated.” The bald man reply.

"This conversation is not over." The bald man told Syvis. "When the queen asks you, you'd better show your loyalty to Riledo and accept."

The bald man walked away, insulting us on the way.

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"He's just a paranoid idiot who, because he has money, believes that the people should do what he says. I owe you one for driving him away."

"What were you two talking about? He looked quite angry."

"It's none of your business. So why are you here?" Syvis reply.

I explained to Syvis why I was here, and she invited me to come in since my card was in her bag. This will be my fourth time entering the greenhouse at night with Syvis. Since the first time when I received E-rank, Syvis has been helping me at night to understand magic better.

Syvis gave me my card, and as if it were something common, we sat down to have tea while we talked.

Syvis started the talk by asking. "This afternoon, when I invited you to join Oblivion, you weren't looking very thrilled. What's wrong? You don't like being in the same guild as me?"

"O-Of course not, it's not that! I would love to be in the same guild as you, it's just that I can't..."

"What is the reason for that?"

"It's hard to explain. I'm probably not welcome there, and there's someone I don't want to see anyway."

"Do you have enemies in Oblivion? I thought you had never been to Riledo. How did you get enemies so fast? Who are they?" Syvis asked.

At first I doubted if I should tell her, but in the end, I decided to do it. Syvis kept quiet, just listening to me while I told her about Kase and Amelia. I told her everything about what happened in the village to the latest in the city.

"So Kase ... I don't know him, but I've heard some nasty rumors about him," Syvis commented.

"Don't you know him? Even if you are in the same guild?" I asked.

"I haven't frequented my guild in a year, and when Kase was in the castle, I was out of town, so I never saw him. Another Oblivion member was the one who recruited him. Likewise, I don't know who Amelia is."

"I see..."

"You must be careful. An S-Rank is not someone you want to have as an enemy. They are practically untouchable, both in battle and socially." Syvis bit her nail and said. "Do you know what the goddess gift is?"

"The goddess gift!? I don't know."

"Supposedly, the ritual of an adventurer who receives S-rank is different. It is known that the goddess herself appears in front of them in the ritual."

That explains why when I said that someone appeared in my ritual Harold and Zhoron thought it was the goddess [Imris].

Syvis continued explaining. "Nobody knows how the goddess selects those who will be of S-Rank, but something important happens at that moment apart from awaking. It is documented that the goddess [Imris] grants them a skill of their choice. It is a skill that doesn't appear on the card and an S-Rank usually avoids talking about it."

"A skill of their choice?" I asked startled.

"That is one of the reasons why S-ranks are so dangerous. You never know what skill they asked for is. From what I know, Kase never revealed what skill he received."

I wonder what skill Kase asked for...